Coupe vs Sedan

Leef

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The question so many of us must answer I suppose....

Just wondering what you all chose, and if it was a tough choice vs a no-brainer. I suspect that I am in the minority in choosing the coupe. I just loved the lines too much - the high-flying spoiler, the rounded butt end, the more streamlined shape, and the fact it was a little shorter.

Countering that, the sedan offers a lot: easier access to the rear seats, rear seat center armrest, increased headroom, increased trunk/cargo capacity, and no glass over the passengers' scalps that will bake them in the summer.

But emotion won over practicality (which is why I probably was attracted to the car to begin with). I can likely count on one hand the number of times I will carry passengers in the back seat (no kids in the family helps), and the only time I needed more trunk space than what the coupe offers required renting an 18 foot van anyways. I think the sedan might have won if only that dang spoiler didn't look so good...
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repeet

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I think that the coupe looks a lot like a 350/370 which I think are ugly. I bought the sedan because I think that it is stronger looking and better balanced front to back. Throw in the practicality of better access to the back seats and you have a sedan lover. I'm glad you like the round butt on the coupe. I agonized over which to get, but I didn't like the back end.

This is only the second sedan I've ever owned in my life, and I vowed that I wouldn't buy another, but here I am with a handsome sedan again.
 

250gtswb

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I think that the coupe looks a lot like a 350/370 which I think are ugly. I bought the sedan because I think that it is stronger looking and better balanced front to back.
The coupe has a chunky, pugnacious appearance to it which gives the car a lot of character. It does share that "bulldog" look with the Nissan 350/370 Z, and also with some great classic European sports-cars like the Lancia Fulvia Zagato. I also suspect that the coupe -- however similar it may be to the sedan, and it is very close -- may be a slightly sportier drive. Slightly lower center of gravity, slightly lighter weight, and possibly even slightly stiffer torsional rigidity. Both the GenX Civic sedan and the coupe are terrific cars (and I've driven both), but the coupe might just be a tiny bit sharper to drive, if also a tiny bit less practical.
 

shibles

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I went with the coupe, partially for how it looks and that I absolutely love coupes, and partially because of availability, where I was buying it, coupe was pretty much the main option. I love the spoiler, the shorter, slicker look, the tail lights, the general shape, etc, it just appealed more to me. I also didn’t necessarily need the sedan, not often do I carry 4 passengers plus myself (occasionally but not often).
 


Xtelotatichl

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Coupe for me. My first actually as all my previous cars were all sedans. This is the first coupe that had me choosing it over its sedan counterpart. The sedan also suffers from those hideous looking fake plastic vents in the rear
 

ActiveArch

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I really love the back end and side profile of the coupe, but I picked up the sedan two days ago, chose the sedan for the practicality and the better weight distribution. I originally assumed the coupe would be significantly lighter but after learning it was only a 17lb difference I was pretty much sold on the sedan. If there was a large performance difference I may have gone with the coupe, but its essentially the same.
 

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While I do appreciate the coupe, it was never an option for me. Primarily because I have two kids (8 and 5)...but also because that coupe spoiler seems a tad ridiculous. I’ll be the first to admit the sedan’s rear isn’t the most flattering aspect, but at my age (38) that coupe would have screamed “mid-life crisis”. I know a lot of people like that wing so please know that there’s no disrespect intended, and obviously styling is subjective, just giving my opinion.
 

dmitri

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How something looks is a personal opinion thing, and we know what those are like :) -- everybody's got one. How it looks definitely matters, but objective factors like price, cargo space, weight and various other specs are independent from opinions and therefore much easier to discuss and operate with logically.
I've had 3 coupes and one sedan (because of kids/baby seats). Then the kids have grown so technically I could go back to the coupe again, and I've really struggled with it when getting this last car. From the specs perspective, the 2017 Si coupe and sedan are almost identical, with the obvious exception of the number of doors and respective size differences. Same price, and practically same weight. The only real advantage of coupe at the time was how it looked, and that couldn't beat the practicality of 4 doors (driving coworkers to lunch, or occasionally having older passengers for whom it's not as easy to get in and out of the back of a coupe.)
And when I saw both cars in person, the "coupe looks better" argument disappeared. But that's a "personal opinion" thing again... I'd say a decision to buy (or not) a car shouldn't be determined by something as cosmetic as the shape of its spoiler, but by actual, objective practical (dis)advantages and differences in specs. Of course, to each their own. So congrats on your purchase! It's an awesome car either way. :)
 

TheBatman

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I had a '15 Sedan...I now have a '17 Coupe. To me, the coupe looked better, to me, and as far as 'easier access to the back seats'...for normal sized adults - it didn't seem so in the '15, and doubt it is for the '17. My back is half jacked up, but still, it seemed like you had to semi-contort into unnatural positions to get in or out, so...I went with the look that I liked rather than perceived accessibility. I know some of you don't like the coupe's backside, but I think it's much better than the sedan's look. Those huge fake vents just kill the aesthetics for me, and I don't think the wing goes with the car. Regardless - each of us has our reason(s) for making the choice that we did, and that's really all that matters. If you like it, and you're happy...you made the correct choice.
 


nuowner

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The coupe is what caught my eye in the showroom (while there looking for a CR-V for wifey), but we're getting old and portly... and having the option of carrying around my elderly mother-in-law and her mobility gear made the sedan a no brainer.

I think the lower bumper cover on the coupe looks far better than the sedan (fake vents! :rolleyes1:). Prefer the less pronounced 'spoiler' on the sedan. Good and gooder on each.
 

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I got a sedan because I have a kid, and I'm not even attempting to live with a coupe and putting him in the back seat.

I also prefer the look of the sedan and added practicality. I had a Si sedan 10 years ago, long before my son was even imagined, for the same reason. I love sporty cars and coupes, but given the choice between the two, especially when there is no real advantage going with the coupe, I'll take the sedan. Easier to throw my stuff in the backseat sometimes, carry more people, have more headroom etc.
 

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The si was originally going to be me wifes and she preferred the couple (I preferred the sedan) and since it was to be her car we got the coupe. After a few days she decided she likes the wrx (that was to be mine) better and decided to keep it. I'm ok with the couple but I would have been happier with the sedan. Still, i like the coupe and it will certainly keep me satisfied until I can get a type r.
 

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There have been several threads on this forum debating the coupe versus sedan.

Here are some objective facts...

OBJECTIVE FACTS

Sedan Advantages

  • The sedan is easier for rear passengers to enter/exit.
  • The sedan offers twice the number of doors, hinges, latches, windows, window motors, window buttons, and lock actuators for the same price as the coupe.
  • The sedan's doors are shorter, so it's easier to get in and out of without hitting a wall in your garage or another vehicle in a parking lot.
  • The sedan comes with rear heater ducts for more even cabin heating and toasty toes for rear passengers.
  • The sedan has a slightly better weight distribution - 60/40% vs. 61/39% for the coupe.
  • The sedan has more trunk space (14.7 cu. ft. vs. 11.9) which is important if you want to keep a spare tire in there and still have some room left for luggage.
  • The sedan has a center armrest in the back seat.
  • The sedan has height-adjustable front seat belts - the coupe's are not adjustable.
  • The sedan has a higher NHTSA frontal crash rating (5 stars vs. 4 for the coupe).
Coupe Advantages
  • Weighs 17 lbs. less.
Some people prefer the looks of the coupe.
Some people prefer the looks of the sedan.
Sedans outsell coupes by a large margin.
There is virtually no difference in performance between the two.
 
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Leef

Leef

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Coupe for me. My first actually as all my previous cars were all sedans. This is the first coupe that had me choosing it over its sedan counterpart. The sedan also suffers from those hideous looking fake plastic vents in the rear
That was actually an issue for me as well. In fact, that whole vast expanse of honeycomb thing on both variants of the Si made me pick the MSM over the lighter or brighter (and more preferred) colors (I admit really liking the Aegean Blue and the Lunar Silver). The Modern Steel tends to muffle all that loud plastic and more effectively integrate the look. Just me.
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